Hooverizing for Travel

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Thu May 04, 2006 5:27 am

I've been looking for a mid-priced 'pocket' whistle that I can carry around, and also take with me on my vacation to England this month. After debating the merits of the 'Laughing Whistle' by Noah Herbison (which has a waiting list), and the 'Whitecap' by Mack Hoover, I chose the latter.

Here's what happened:
I ordered the whitecap and also ordered a 2-piece Clare whistle to put it on. I figured that would make a good set. Well, the whitecap arrived before the Clare, and I just couldn't wait to try it out, so I bought an Oak D here in town.
Well, the Oak has a very well-made barrel, but was a horrible player. With the Whitecap, it became the best Gen-style whistle I've ever played! Just wonderful!

So yesterday the Clare came, and guess what? It plays so nice just as it is, that I couldn't bear to put the Whitecap on it. The Clare 2-part is a great pocket whistle sweet with just a touch of chiff, and I like it a lot better than comparable Gens, Feadogs and Soodlums that I've played. The Whitecap Oak is a true 'high-end' player, very pure and sweet, that costs under $50 complete.

I never did get to try the Laughing Whistle, which is probably great, but I can highly recommend the Clare and the Hoover/Oak combo. And Mack was just great to deal with. So, don't leave home without 'em!

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:47 am

EDIT: Should've been a PM

P.S. Whitecaps rock!

RonKiley · Post by **RonKiley** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:08 am

Yes indeed. The Whitecap/Oak is a great whistle. It is one of my essential whistles. It is especially nice on predominately second octave tunes.

Ron

Jason Paul · Post by **Jason Paul** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:27 am

I can agree to that.

Almost the same thing happened to me. I ordered a whitecap and another Oak (already had one) and got the whitecap first. I put it on my Feadog and liked it. When I put it on the Oak though, it was really nice, so it's staying there for the time being.

Along with the Oak, I ordered a Clare one-piece. Whistle Shop was out of brass so he sent me nickel. I actually like the Clare quite a bit the way it is, but I'll probably try the whitecap on it. I think the tuning is better on the Oak though.

As far as the stock Oak being a horrible player, you may just need to spend some more time on it. I had a hard time playing mine when I first got it because of the breath control required. It just doesn't like as much air. But when I got used to it I began to like it quite a bit - sweet and fairly quiet. That's why I ordered a second one; because I wanted to keep one stock.

I agree though that the Oak/Whitecap is a nice whistle. I only have cheapies to compare it to, but I really like it. Although, it took a few days to get used to the second register. I now like the way that you can lean into it there, and that it's so strong in the lower register as well.

Jason

Congratulations · Post by **Congratulations** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:35 am

The Oak D is my second-favorite cheapie. I have my whitecap on an Oak D body, though, because I cracked the Oak head a while back (they're rather fragile). And yes, it is a wonderful little thing to play.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Thu May 04, 2006 8:08 am

Yeah, I didn't mean to be so harsh about the stock Oak. Truth is, it played very different from what I'm used to. After ten minutes I popped the whitetop onto it, and loved it so much I couldn't bring myself to go back.

Every whistle takes getting used to, and it's premature to make a judgement without spending at least a few hours with it.

CelloDog · Post by **CelloDog** » Thu May 04, 2006 2:46 pm

Anyone try Mack Hoover's Blackcap? Any idea how it is different from the whitecap (besides price)?
Doug

swizzlestick · Post by **swizzlestick** » Thu May 04, 2006 3:28 pm

Construction is a little different. (Or mine is anyway.) There is no brass liner inside the Blacktop. I expected the sound to be the same, but my Blacktop has a more complex sound than my Whitecap. Not really better, just different.

It does seem to clog less.

CelloDog · Post by **CelloDog** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:26 pm

swizzlestick wrote:Construction is a little different. (Or mine is anyway.) There is no brass liner inside the Blacktop. I expected the sound to be the same, but my Blacktop has a more complex sound than my Whitecap. Not really better, just different.

It does seem to clog less.

How do the chiff-factor and volume compare on the two?

swizzlestick · Post by **swizzlestick** » Thu May 04, 2006 10:29 pm

OK. I need to clarify the situation. Mack put my Blacktop on a Jubilee tube, one just a little larger in diameter than the brass tube he used on my original Whitecap. So it's not surprising that it is a little louder.

This is a nice combination. I didn't want an exact clone of my Whitecap so I am pleased with the result, but it doesn't make for the best comparison. Plus Mack can and will vary his design to target your needs. For example, I have seen a Whitecap with a smaller window than mine that seemed to have less volume and a little more chiff. (It could have been because I was in front of the whistle instead of behind it.)

This probably is not helping you much, so let me try again. I think the sounds are very, very close, but I think you will detect some minor differences side by side. I think of the Whitetop as having a sharper, less complex sound, but I am not sure your listeners will hear it. (I plan to record them sometime and do a blind test.) I wanted a Blacktop mostly to help cope with condensation problems, but you can make a Whitecap almost as good with the soapy water solution. (Covered in detail elsewhere on this site.)

And because it does have a little less volume, the Whitecap is still my whistle of choice when I practice with the rest of the family around.

crookedtune · Post by **crookedtune** » Fri May 05, 2006 5:13 am

As mentioned, I LOVE my whitecapped Oak. But I am starting to notice the clogging problem mentioned here. I tried the soapy water solution last night, and it seemed to help. I need to find convenient ways to do something like this that will last a little longer --- maybe that Duponol stuff (or whatever it's called). Or maybe dabbing the windway, rather than dipping. Any suggestions? Or can condensation be reduced through playing technique?